Observance of International Women’s Day

Observance of International Women’s Day

This Friday, March 8th is International
Women’s Day. Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation
wishes all women and girls around the world a very Happy International Women’s
Day! This
day has been designated for the observance of women worldwide, especially those
who work toward creating a better world in which all humankind may live.

International Women’s Day was originally referred to
as International Working Women’s Day. It
was intended to be a celebration to show appreciation, respect and love towards
women for their economic, political and social achievements. As early as the year 1909, this day was
celebrated in New York City. In 1975,
the Icelandic women’s strike made it effective in Iceland, and it helped pave
the way for the election of the first woman President in the world, Iceland’s
Vigdis Finnbogadottir.

More than a century since, the women in New York City
have celebrated this day, and now women around the world will observe
International Women’s Day in some form or fashion to celebrate what began long
before any of them existed. In some
parts of the world on Friday, women will march, while some will meet in
roundtable discussions and others will virtually come together in sisterhood
solidarity. In various parts of the
world, women plan to hold programs and celebrate this special day set aside,
just for women.

This year’s theme, #BalanceforBetter is befitting with
the active and audible voice women have displayed so far in 2018. Historically, women have always had to strive
for progress. Young women must
understand that something as simple as casting a vote was not always a thing
that women were allowed to do. Women
such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto,
Margaret Thatcher and countless of women who have preceded today’s women would
be proud to know that women are continuing to speak out and work toward
equality and against injustices. The rampant
violation of women’s human rights in the world today in the 21st
century is appalling. Saudi Arabian women were allowed to drive automobiles only a couple
of years ago. Approximately eight
thousands girls a day in the world are genitally mutilated due to an aged old
culture called female genital mutilation or female circumcision. Statistics show that women and girls are more
likely to become victims of human trafficking than are men. While women have made great strides in
empowering themselves toward progress, they are still a long way from where
they should be.

International
Women’s Day was actually first celebrated on March 19, 1911. As the years progressed, women around the
world began to observe the day, especially in 1914 when Russian women and many
other European women gathered in support against the war on March 8th. By 1945, the day was celebrated in all
socialist countries in Europe. The
United Nations decided to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th,
which was during the International Women’s Year.

The
website for International Women’s Day states that the day is a time to reflect on
the progress made, to celebrate the acts of courage and determination by
ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in history. It also states that the day should be used as
a call for change. So as women around
the world celebrate the social economic, cultural and political achievement of
women, they must also remember the work that is still ahead. They must focus on Planet 50-50 by 2030. It is the U.N.’s agenda for the
implementation of Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030, which
includes the hopeful end to female genital mutilation (FGM). As women prepare to converge on the grounds
of the United Nations in New York this month to celebrate the 63rd
anniversary of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), the delegates
will be addressing the practice of FGM.
This year for the CSW63, there will be a special photo exhibit in the
U.N. lobby and murals of FGM on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The
number of women leaders in the world must be increased. The minds of young girls must be captured at
an early age, and emphasis must be made
to them on the importance of
education and leadership, most
especially in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. It must
be instilled in them that they can
become whatever they aspire to
be in life. The future women leaders
must understand that it takes vision, dreams, determination, dedication,
passion, and perseverance. If you are a
young girl and you have a dream in your early years, it is your vision, and
that vision could very well be your future.
Do not give up on that vision.
Instead, build on it with determination, never relenting. And if you
are an adult woman reading this article, please think about how you can make a
difference in a girl’s life.

There
are so many women who quietly work on behalf of the well-being and safety of
women and girls; therefore Global Woman
Newsletter celebrates all of such women around the world on Thursday. If you are working on behalf of women and
girls somewhere in the world, know that you are celebrated today and Friday by Global Woman Newsletter.

As you celebrate on Friday, here are some statistics
to ponder:

Only 22% of world parliamentarians or
congress people are women

Women earn 24% less than men worldwide

35% of women worldwide have experienced
sexual violence at some point in their lives

More than 1 in 4 women in Washington, D.C.
have experienced some form of sexual harassment on public transportation, as of
2016

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